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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · fall · wind · scale · dip · ball · lean · track

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. track — a song
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fall — the season
  5. track — to keep track
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. ball — a dance
  9. track — a path
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lean — thin
  14. scale — size or range
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rock — music
  19. scale — in music
  20. lean — to bend
  21. dip — to sink
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — a stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com